Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon - Defend the Old Spaceport (NG, S Rank) ArcTheLadder 2023-09-16 | I've come to dislike the practice of extended chatter during a game's combat, because unless you script the fight then something like this happens. I've heard parts of the exchange if the fight is protracted, but after that reset this was the result, just landing a lucky Stun Needle.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon - Attack the Old Spaceport (NG, S Rank) ArcTheLadder 2023-09-16 | Uh, tbh I think that being a giant opportunist and sucker punching the two enemies that attack you and Rusty were more important for me.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon - Attack the Refueling Base (NG, S Rank) ArcTheLadder 2023-09-15 | This one was really annoying, YO BUT DUAL ZIMMERMANS. I think the major thing was getting weapon cost down and speed up. Damage seems mostly lenient, but I choose Zimmermans because I'm not really great at consistent enemy manipulation on high mobility targets and shotties are just the path of least resistance/efficiency for me now.Manual aim for the grenade launchers helps deal with the initial elite's BS tracking/damage on his attacks. Just not something I wanted to deal with after numerous runs of him dancing on my head and my tracking just being spazzy. The initial grenade opener just helps minimize the engagement. The routing choice I made to just fly across to the helicopters was because I think they're one of those mandatory targets in terms of the point threshold. Skipping them wasn't helping me even stay at A. Energy Blade is solid/efficient and just cycles well. The Songbirds are really costly if you fire them a lot, so I tried to use them where it felt necessary to and nothing else.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Kunoichi Combo Reset ArcTheLadder 2023-09-13 | A combo I did on stream waaaaaay back, I feel like there must be a unique hit box in the middle of the down + attack but it doesn't explain why the down + B on the ground hits again.
Armored Core VI Fires Of Rubicon - Investigate BAWS Arsenal No. 2 (Rank S, NG) ArcTheLadder 2023-09-10 | Probably better ways to go about doing this, this method isn't exactly stable. The ammo, damage and time thresholds seem really strict.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Kunoichi, Stage 4 (Normal Mode, 188.25 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-24 | Improved time, just passing the time as I get my new place in order.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 5 (Hard Mode, 311.72 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-24 | ...
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Multiplayer Mode 1CC (Raiden and Ninja) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-21 | Nothing really fancy, just a good ol' time. I was using Kunoichi on an initial attempt but just had some bad luck at Phobos and Deimos and decided to invoke GUN ELEMENTAL for maximum efficiency. Played with my good friend FuzeDeluxe over Parsec.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 2 (Normal Mode, 170.84 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | This is another stage where I'm kind of perplexed as to the faster times on PS4/Switch. I'm not sure how much optimization could yield something like a 140 secondish run with Kunoichi. I'd like to see those runs!
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 1 (Normal Mode, 89.55 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | I have this suspicion that current times might be using a skip to shoot further ahead at the transition point.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Final Stage (Normal Mode, 354.14) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | The times (note: OTHER players) on Switch/PS4 are much, much faster. I decided to round out the leaderboard after seeing some cheaters and, mostly just for lack of anything better to do. Life's been pretty stressful and I'm hoping that by the end of this month I can do some real content.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 7 (Normal Mode, 321.25 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | I got very lucky here on the opener, it's more consistent to grab Zelos then slide to start your offense but I think faster if you just go straight into shifting/standing "infinite." The big risk is that Zelos jumps away, and from there, good luck locking him into position again. The prismatic glow of the mutant enemies makes them unable to be grappled save for special throws like Raiden or Yaksha's special moves. Consistency means giving up speed, though you might get lucky if Zelos block the slide and puts you right into position for shifting anyway.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 6 (Normal Mode, 98.01 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | Despite Normal giving these two a lower health pool, Hard Mode actually seems easier to me. Because the Drones can help you create openings, phase through attacks and otherwise run interference on these two bozos whereas on Normal it's kind of a free for all.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 5 (Normal Mode, 279.33 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-20 | I hate this boss lmfao.
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 3 (Normal Mode, 170.42 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-19 | ...
The Ninja Warriors Once Again - Yaksha, Stage 4 (Normal Mode, 214.82 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-19 | Just finished a move and, well, it's been stressful. So, just doing these to chill (ha).
The Ninja Warriors Once Again (Steam Version) - Yaksha (Stage 6, Hard Mode 114.28 Seconds) ArcTheLadder 2023-08-19 | Actually improved my previous time by 2 seconds!
Tobal 2 Duckstation Netplay - Arc (Chuji) vs Bap (Mary) ArcTheLadder 2023-05-13 | Tobal 2 is really fun. There's just something really fun about the system where I know there's enough error imposed on back stepping that it makes being aggressive really fun.Netplay definitely has a different feel for timings and it makes performing just frames harder if visual timing skips just a hair. The other thing is that I definitely had that human element of just choking/pressing the wrong buttons. I did feel happy that my hunch was right about using G+K to finish juggles. Just the safest option and the least pressure. I do want to try to hit some of the stuff I missed, but this was my first set since last time and impromptu at that. No mic since it was around 1:00am, though I think not having the mic on definitely helped both sides with focus. Bap has this way of turning it up, and I tried to get a feel for his modes better. At the very end on the 10th match I thought it was funny that we both just went full disrespect/aggression. There were many neat moments of "doing the same thing" that I always like in fighters.
Chuji-ing ArcTheLadder 2023-05-12 | What I have so far for Chuji juggles vs a heavy character like Mary. All the stuff I found was for light weight characters, which I should probably practice but it really bothers me when I see things that favor combo video brain. This is just "Simplest" to "Hardest" though honestly I think it's actually tougher to string the jab stuff because G+K seems to really be the best practical combo in terms of not having to worry about positioning screwing you over.Something to note about Seiichi Ishi games is that there is a particular emphasis on Just Frames, so the "Shredder Kicks" you see here, where Chuji starts having a sparkle around him, are a staple of his more damaging juggles. I don't really like Just Frames, but I think there's real untapped potential in managing the kind of demand that puts on players and not, somehow, tying it to a meter system that isn't just a "comeback" factor. A better system, to me, would be more SF6 Drive Gauge in terms of use and less Tekken 8 "hurr this is just a comeback factor." Those kind of patronizing attempts at pacing the fight or specifically making it something "to come back with" just seem to miss the overall point that the moment to moment fighting is where people typically get lost with in fighting games.A theory system in my mind would be something where you could spend a type of gauge that represents stamina to allow the portions of combos here that require just frames to just be "normally bufferable." So much of fighting games now is just trying to make execution the other player's problem, hence why I think you see so many people resorting to using a control device like Hitbox. Which are very transparently understood to be about cheating lmfao. The solutions should be within the games themselves, which is why I think nerds start panicking when games like Fighting EX Layer or SF6 have some kind of "Progressive" or "Modern" control scheme.Persona 4 Arena and Dragon Ball FighterZ felt like decent examples of this. Of course if you subscribe to the notion that "things should be hard" we would, in theory, have a ton of Street Fighter Alpha 1 players I guess?
Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition - Chun Li Playthrough (Level 7 Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2023-05-11 | There's always cool things to find out in this game, but playing as Chun still feels a bit rough in some fights. It was nice to get the no miss.
Tobal 2 - Duckstation Netplay (Arc vs Bap) ArcTheLadder 2023-05-10 | Cut the set cause my thumb definitely isn't used to the kind of use it gets from this game.
Oh, Perfect! ArcTheLadder 2023-05-01 | Note that the jump double kicks are not an overhead, lot of caveats here. This is still somewhat of a practical combo though.
Magical Drop VI - Competitive Matches ArcTheLadder 2023-04-29 | Game don't look as good as the past games. The controls don't have that weird built in slow-down/tether feel... but I wouldn't actually recommend buying it. It just feels like a mobile game in terms of the things you have to do, which is very unfortunate. Just empty calories.Describing it like food is pretty detestable at that, but there's not even that insane sublimation that the past games had in terms of the characters. I don't even know if that's a thing that ultimately matters, but for my interests it just feels sterile.
AWIAW1 ArcTheLadder 2023-04-26 | Absolute triumph here, no connection problems whatsoever. Just pure street fighter with some misses for some reason, I don't know what that was all about might have been the connection.
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - Pocky, Hard Mode (PB High Score) ArcTheLadder 2023-03-23 | I really want to break 4 million with this insufferable character. There are a few points where I missed out on some shield and life bonuses early on in the run that really hurt me.The section in stage 2 with the kappas, particularly the head honcho kappa on the raft are very costly for score since there are 80,000 points you can potentially get if you have a full shield and full health. The pick ups there and the roulette are what award this, but that's precisely what makes that area so difficult because you have to have the right counter number of coins to make the shield drop, and it's hard to be precise while being swamped with enemies and Pocky's imprecise, low power shots.I think something could technically be done with the mirrors, but the mirrors are terrible at precisely hitting what you want, which means you risk hitting the power up boxes which would then be a race against time that Pocky usually won't win. But, still, pretty happy with this. Also, the final boss with Pocky is ESPECIALLY frustrating because, again, she's just really awful at hitting precise spots. Once the double skulls show up, moving and dodging while also dealing damage just become a tremendous headache. The time that Pocky has to put her shield up just isn't realistic to try to maintain any sort of offense. The mirrors will also try to target the skulls, which would be great if you could just destroy them, but you can't. You more or less have to dodge and while I've had better boss fights in the past, I just did not want to deal with that. I'm surprised I didn't bomb at some point.
Street Fighter EX2 Plus (Arcade Version) - Kairi (Hard Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2023-03-23 | This was a harrowing run, Kairi isn't really the greatest character and, in addition, I'm not anything special in this game either. Initially I tried to play Kairi with basics, but you don't really get a lot of opportunities that way. His Excel combos are really lackluster in terms of utility because his horizontal reach is really poor compared to other characters. Once again, also worth noting is that I don't really have great skill when it comes to Excel combos in the first place.I did start learning a few, but they were for Area and Nanase, sadly. Betraying Kairi for the Cute Mafia, look at me.Kairi's dive kick follow up from Moryou Kassen feels extremely difficult for no reason. There's just something about the way cancels work where you really have to focus on when your hits connect, either on hit or block. One botched dive kick can put the AI in a pattern that just isn't really advantageous for you. Jumping is really scary in this game unless you are very proficient with Excel, hence this puts Kairi in, again, another situation where he's unique and fun but not really well suited to EX2's system.It makes me sad that they didn't use this version of Kairi as the template for Fighting EX Layer. That whole game makes me freaking sad, but whatever. Even if Kairi isn't that great, his dive kick out of rekka tatsu feels very fun, despite how oppressive it may seem. What a shame.
Street Fighter EX2 Plus (Arcade) - Nanase (Level 8 Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2023-03-22 | I didn't manage to beat Dictator with a super finish, so no Final Bison... which I did manage to do but the recording just captured audio and none of the video, sigh. Nanase is evil anyway, I guess.
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined - Ame no Uzume, Normal (Score Run) ArcTheLadder 2023-03-16 | So the scoring concept is finally something I understand and... I don't really like it lol. I don't think milking something for score is something unbeholden to anything in the shoot em up genre or anything, I just think it's boring in most cases. I wouldn't see the difference between playing pachinko and doing something like this save for the fact that, at least with Pachinko you can supposedly actually make money.But I wanted to put up a decent run and save the footage for posterity, or just for myself.
Wild Hearts - Volatile Spectral Tombtail, Nodachi ArcTheLadder 2023-03-09 | I recorded this the night that I was coming down with COVID symptoms.
Wild Hearts - Volatile Spectral Tombtail (Nodachi) ArcTheLadder 2023-03-06 | I really dislike hunting games that basically drop the hunting conceit for monsters like these, though I think that a large motivator for it is more or less the power creep that equipment brings. Well, that's before we get to how it's all a compulsion loop. But I'd play a fun game well before it tried to brute force my dopamine receptor or whatever. The "RPG" part of "Action RPG" is pretty brittle, since Karakuri can more or less trivialize a lot of fights and is also the source of your utility as a player. So by that I mean that while I really enjoy heading out into the wilderness and "just doing shit" in these games, as that process is completed or gets stripped away, the designers feel that I have to fight anime monsters. The ecology of this monster, Tombtail, is a good example of this, as things I really liked about the "standard Tombtail" no longer happen, are no longer possible, or no longer really matter. Breaking parts matters in that I can get Karakuri Thread for passive buffs or to regain Karakuri Thread, the currency for building structures. But you can't cut this thing's tail, realistically, which is there so that you "have to" dodge. It's to maintain not the core conceit of the supposed premise of the game, which is hunting. Understanding your prey, its behavior... no, it's to uphold the core of "dodge take turn." I didn't play this game for a hundred hours or so just to end up doing something LESS INTERESTING, I would argue, than what I did to arrive at this present moment in the game.A final note about the things that no longer happen, Tombtail fights in one area, which is a bit of a monkey's paw given how prone monsters are to running away in this game. They run entirely too much. There are weirdos out there who say you can chain stun with Karakuri, but the level of anticipation and potential factors for monsters running are just too demanding for that to truly be an offset, rather I think these are nerds who don't understand that constantly having to prepare for a monster to run to some other part of the map ISN'T FUN or interesting. But the monster not running is, again, I think a sign of the designer cheating and losing a sense of imagination or inspiration about the premise of the game: Hunting.I liked in, for instance, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, where Lagiacrus running signaled an end of the fight and also how the pursuit led to its lair. You were chasing this thing to its home. The normal Ragetail's behavior reminds me of this, as it will run into enclosed spaces, the ruins of the town. I think having definitive locations where monsters nest, for instance, is part of the fun of hunting games. It's something that I think, when you put in dumb ass anime fights such as this one, you completely see a designer opt out of an otherwise really amazing potential design choice in favor of, you guessed it, "dodge/take turn."I will say that Wild Hearts grazed things that I've really wanted to see these hunting games embrace, so I can't fault it too badly. It runs very poorly on PC, but I find myself more drawn to it than Monster Hunter. A lot of the streamlining it does is nice, but I'd like for the game to not try to even balance the powered up anime monsters with traditional hunting. Just get rid of that shit.
Wild Hearts (PC) - Mighty Lavaback, Nodachi ArcTheLadder 2023-03-01 | Just testing capturing this game. I'm digging the game, though it's quite janky in terms of a lot of factors. What's important to me is that I've long wanted a hunting game that tries to be more like an RPG and less like a shitty Gacha-style game where everything is sanded down to just making farming super efficient. The story takes a lot of cues from Monster Hunter World, but I think the heart is in the right place in terms of ecology and monsters. Unfortunately, the whole "MONSTERS ARE GOING WHERE THEY SHOULDN'T" thing happens, and that's what I mean when I say the game's heart is in the right place. Because sometimes it does things that just puzzle me.Combat features a LOT of tracking, but your characters more or less fight like they have a ton of quality of life skills from Traditional Monster Hunter. Which I appreciate to an extent, though you really have to dig to figure out what Karakuri/Building Tool suits a fight and sometimes things feel a bit pre-determined and limited in terms of how you should fight something.It's a breath of fresh air to me, but not something I would recommend to any PC users. The game feels rushed, intensely so. There's a video I recorded where I'm fighting Lavaback with tons of realistic terrain and that's where the comparisons to Monster Hunter are a bit unfavorable for Wild Hearts. The various biomes and their terrain are very pretty and lush, but those things very clearly clash with the dynamic, construction based combat.Yet, despite ruffling my feathers, I don't judge games simple on a single aspect and this really was a game that I have enjoyed far more than I did the past two monster hunter games. It just feels like there's more to it, even if it has some glaring flaws.The technical issues are a tragedy, but this is very different from sitting and listening to a game be cynical or saccharine.
Wanted: Dead - Ramen King (Full Combo/Ramen World Legend) ArcTheLadder 2023-02-21 | I liked the song enough to attempt this, but it taught me a few more ways in how this game is a buggy mess. This feels like playing Shogo: Armor Division on release or something. You want to like it, but the game is a mess.
Wanted: Dead (Playstation 5 Version) - Mission 1, (Japanese Hard, No Needles Achievement) ArcTheLadder 2023-02-18 | ...
Street Fighter Alpha 2 - Ryu Playthrough (Expert Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-29 | I really, really like how this game connects with Alpha 3. What I'm sad about is that I think Alpha 2 is a better video game than Alpha 3. I don't mean "competitively" or whatever wound up nerds go on about. I think that whole disagreeing about video games between gamers is timeless. While there are things that haven't aged well, what I like most about Street Fighter Alpha are the brief moments where the game becomes so coherent, so abundantly about socializing and fighting games. It's not so much the theme itself, though I think that's great for Street Fighter, it's the WAY the game accomplishes this. Just doing basic, solid storytelling and theming. I really think Ryu's struggle still resonates with me, because he has to make a decision about what type of player he's going to be. I think if you asked any actual martial artist "why do you fight" they'd tell you "Because I'm good at it and because it makes me money", so the fantasy here IS being a "Street Fighter", so if ultimately the story shifted to some meta/subtext, I think Alpha 2 is the peak of this approach.I also saw someone say that "Alpha 3 has better presentation", please shut the fuck up lol. This game is presented like a very old anime, especially now, from like the 80s. There's a feeling of nostalgia that this game really taps into in terms of the way it looks and sounds. The way that the VS screen cut ins are like eyecatches from some old anime that doesn't actually exist. I want to do a video that really pays respect to these ideas, even though ultimately I think that it's not really socially groundbreaking, it's just groundbreaking for action video games and I think it's worth noting how much of this is succeeded by action games like the Souls series... and how overtly hostile Street Fighter Alpha was to that lmfao.
Street Fighter Zero - Ryu Playthrough (Expert Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-27 | Honestly, playing the other characters I can see how this series wasn't that popular until Alpha 2. Some of it is competitive, but I think subtly when I see what the game tests you on vs the CPU, it just feels like a game where it's not all put together well for that. I should probably move on, because the runs aren't necessarily fun, they feel restrictive on a per character basis. They feel like things people wrongfully accuse SF2 of, which is cheating solely for the purpose of cheating. Which Alpha 1 DEFINITELY does.I've seen numerous people playthrough Street Fighter 2 like "THE GAME IS CHEATING" but they have no appreciation for the fact that SF2 allows counterplay. Akira Nishitani was at least good about that for the most part. I think it's a very holistic game in that sense. When you're fighting Charlie and he just walks up and does a Sonic Boom or Somersault Shell, there's just nothing interesting about that. He's cheating lmfao, it's not like Guile where the game lets you use spacing to punish Guile for being able to do that. So it just feels kinda boring to get roped into some of these exploits. And I need to say that it's REALLY FUNNY to make fun of Art of Fighting 2 and then produce a game with very similar outcomes in terms of what Art of Fighting 2 was trying to do. Like, your exploits are very restrictive in that game but they're nearly 100% consistent once you find one. I think finding the right balance between choreography and a solution is really key in these games. And often times I really think less is more. And by that I mean less variation for the sake of screwing the player. But you have to remember, I AM talking about an arcade game so ultimately I think these choices on "Expert" weren't like how SF2 didn't quite know how to consistently get into your pockets. The next generation of fighters in the mid-90s I think felt sort of notorious for that.
Street Fighter Alpha - Ken Playthrough (Expert Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-27 | Not much to say. Ryu is technically better but I suck!
Street Fighter Alpha - Chun-Li Playthrough (Expert Difficulty) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-27 | This game can be a real bastard. I think it's easier than Super Turbo USA, but there's just a lot of reflex testing and not too much in the way of manipulations. There are some characters where going for meaties is good, like Chun Li herself, but otherwise there's a lot of passive/defensive play that I had to use.I'm hardly the best Alpha 1 single player guy, so this is more a personal gauge.
River City Girls Zero (PS5) - English (RCG), English Audio (All Trophies) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-25 | The Sound is desync'd because that's how the game ran for me on the PS5. Switch version does not have these audio issues.
Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka - River City Girls Zero Literal Script ArcTheLadder 2022-09-24 | I omitted two deaths. One was where I just jumped to my death in the section after the burnt bridge segment. The other is I got shot by Sabu in the final fight as Kunio and died lol. Other than that, this wasn't a bad run especially given how Misuzu can absolutely be a terror.There's a real false dichotomy going on with the translation. I think right now there's a "purist", pseudo argument going on about the use of terms like "bitch" or whatever. I think changing stuff like that to "chick", ultimately isn't the worst, but we're talking about a game where one of the major sub-plots is how Misako is a free spirit who is attracted to "strong guys." I don't have an issue with changing this game, but this is a port of it. So my major issue isn't with stuff like that getting changed/censored or whatever. That's not necessarily something I see as a huge problem to do, the issue I have is with dumb jokes like "Wow, riding the roller coaster has no gameplay basis but it sure was fun." Or, at the end of the game in the RCG translation that I checked out, you have a perfectly done segment with Ken and Sabu that then goes to more "meta awareness humor."My issue with the translation is that there's a false dichotomy being drawn about how someone such as myself must want a robotic translation vs a faithful representation of the actual dialogue of Kunio-tachi no Banka. There's a fake, decaffeinated wokeness argument I hear going on about how this is crying about censorship, absolutely not in my case.My beef is the wet fart that is River City Girls' sense of humor. It stinks, that's all I think it amounts to. Making the actual content of Kunio-tachi no Banka an authority figure who's leg you can hide behind with fake arguments about artistic clout or social awareness is just not the point. It cheapens actual struggle so someone can tell stupid jokes and make idiotic, Working Designs level humor in the writing.I'd even go so far as to say, that's an undue insult to Working Designs, they could be funny at least. This "meta", "self-aware" stuff has got to go when it's seldom "aware" of anything.
Shin Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio Tachi no Banka - Ken and Sabu, Final Boss (Kunio Only) ArcTheLadder 2022-09-24 | Finding this positioning exploit feels like the way you're "supposed" to do this fight. Also, the lines as translated in this fight are exactly what I would expect of a localization of this game. Shame they find these really annoying ways to just insert levity where it isn't really interesting or clever. So how you could normally do this and many problem fights is use Riki and "Mach Punch" to just out attack enemies, which feels really cool. It just didn't sit well with me that the final fight against Ken would be done by Riki. With that in mind, I wanted to find a legit way to win as Kunio and this method is very consistent.You want Ken to get his back to the edge of the screen, either side will do, then you want to punch so that the very tip of your range triggers Ken into blocking. Once he blocks, you just confirm into a stun, stomp and repeat. If you're good, you can see when he goes into a proper "stun" and land a spin kick for good damage. Not as many stomps, but stylish.
